Cheese Professionals along the entire supply chain from cheesemaker, distributor, retailer and educator should understand what is necessary to “take the cheese to market” and effectively sell it to the consumer.

For the cheesemaker developing a marketing strategy includes creating a clear brand and vision:

Providing information that can help distributors and retailers in selling your product.

Providing samples.

Conducting educational and demos of your product for distributors and retailers.

Labeling: know reqirements which include ingredients and nutritional information.

Additional education that includes merchandising techniques, product ordering, maintaining inventory, knowing services your company offers and how to implement them to meet each customer’s needs and requests.

Ongoing education programs to keep current on trends and products.

Daily tasting of cheeses; knowing your product is best way to sell your products. Encourage your mongers to taste every product. Keeping a diary of products tasted and your thoughts on the product.

Know the “story” of your products. Customers love to share a “secret” about the cheese when serving it to friends and family. (For example, Stilton Cheese cannot be made in the town of Stilton.)

Active demos of product.

Offering every customer a taste of any cheese “If you can get it in their mouth; they will buy it.”

Product knowledge beyond the above is a plus:

Market trends.

How to use social media and studying it to spot new trends (I love to check out pictures of cheese, cheese boards and recipes using cheese on Pinterest; tells me more about what is trending.)

Reading industry magazines, e-zines and articles about cheese and trends. (I have a google alert for “cheese” and “cheese festivals”.)

Sales reports to know top-selling cheese and other related products.

Regarding customers:

Anticipate your customers’ needs; even before they know what they need or want.

Review orders with customer to avoid mistakes.

Share your enthusiasm for a product; it’s infectious.

Offer alternatives if you do not sell the exact item the customer wants.

Offer sample to every customer who comes to shop.

Ask questions to determine what customer likes or doesn’t like.

Think long term; not just short term.

Be honest; if you don’t know the answer admit it but add you will get the answer.

Signage:

Signage helps sell your product.

Tell the story (“Romance”) of the cheese.

Should include: name of cheese, country of origin, milk type and price.

Interviews will continue throughout 2015… sometimes, they will be “stand-alone” and sometimes they will be presented as round-table discussions with several Cheese Professionals answering the same question. Those participating includeCheesemakers, ACS CCPs™, Cheesemongers and Cheese Professionals and Experts who contribute to this Wonderful World we call “Cheese”.